THERE IS A COMMON MISCONCEPTION ABOUT THE BAIL BOND INDUSTRY WHICH IS USUALLY MISCONSTRUED BY THE MEDIA AND REALITY TV SHOWS. IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF A BRADENTON OR SARASOTA BAIL BONDSMAN YOU MAY BE ASKING OR WONDERING; WHO AM I GOING TO BE DEALING WITH ? AND WHAT QUALIFICATIONS DOES HE/SHE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO CALL THEMSELVES A BAIL BONDSMAN IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA.

A FLORIDA BAIL BONDS LICENSE IS NOT HANDED OUT TO ANYONE, IN FACT IT IS A LENGHTY PROCESS TO OBTAIN THIS LICENSE. IN ORDER TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A FULLY LICENSED BONDSMAN IN FLORIDA YOU FIRST HAVE TO OBTAIN A TEMPORARY BAIL BONDS LICENSE. QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN A TEMPORARY LICENSE ARE AS FOLLOWS BELOW.

TEMPORARY RESIDENT LIMITED SURETY AGENT

Common Use(s) of License:

While accompanied by a supervising bail bond agent or an agent from the same agency: Presenting defendants in court; apprehending, arresting, and surrendering defendants to the proper authorities; and keeping defendants under necessary surveillance.

Related Florida Statutes:

Step 1 - You must be:

A United States citizen or legal alien who possesses a work authorization from the United States Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Employed at the time of licensure and at all times throughout the temporary license by only one licensed and appointed supervising bail bond agent.

A person of high character and approved integrity and has never been convicted of or pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony, a crime involving moral turpitude, or a crime punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more under the law of any state, territory or country whether or not a judgment or conviction is entered.

Step 2 - Must have the following prerequisite(s) before applying:

Successfully completed 120-hours of an approved basic certification course in the criminal justice system, making a grade of not less than 80 percent approved by the department (Must be completed within the last four years)Click here to find a courseAND

Successfully completed a correspondence course approved by the department. This course is offered by the University of Florida (352) 392-1711 at http://pd.dce.ufl.edu/bail-bond-agent-qualify.aspx. (Must be completed within the last four (4) years)AND

You and your supervising bail bond agent must each file an affidavit under oath, on form DFS-H2-1509, verifying your required employment before issuance of the licenseAND

Submit at least three (3) notarized statements to the department by reputable citizens who are residents of the same counties in which you proposes to engage as a temporary licenseeAND

If licensed in another state within four (4) years, provide a Letter of Clearance.

Step 3 - Apply:

Answer all of the questions and pay the fees to complete online application.

ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED A MINIMUM OF 1540 HOURS AS AN INTERN UNDER THE TEMPORARY LICENSE, YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR A RESIDENT LICENSE, REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY FOR A RESIDENT LICENSE ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Applicant must have obtained a Temporary license for Limited Surety Agent or Professional Bail Bond Agent and have worked under that license completing 12 months of employment with at least 1,540 hours, prior to applying for this permanent license pursuant to s. 648.355, F.S., and further clarified in Rule 69B-221.051, F.A.C. All appropriate forms for Temporary Limited Surety Agent or Professional Bail Bond Agent must have been completed correctly and filed with the Department each month.

Be a natural person at least 18 years of age and hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.

Be a resident of the state of Florida.

Be a United States citizen or legal alien who possesses a work authorization from the United States Immigration and Naturalization Services.

Applicant must be a person of high character and approved integrity and has never been convicted of or pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony, a crime involving moral turpitude, or a crime punishable by imprisonment of 1 year or more under the law of any state, territory or country whether or not a judgment or conviction is entered.

The applicant must pass the required examination.

A person who fails an examination three times must retake the 120-hour course and obtain a grade of 80 percent or higher before sitting for the examination again.